Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Four Chinese Animals/Elements
of Creation—Four Guardians of the Enchanted Bookstore Legends

by Marsha A. Moore

My series, Enchanted Bookstore Legends, has two
worlds, reality and a parallel fantasy world called Dragonspeir. The organization
of magical power and leadership in that land is based upon the balanced system
of the four Chinese elements of creation: earth, fire, water, air. Chinese
mythology ties those elements to sacred animals that foretell future events.
The unicorn is supposed to spring from the center of the earth as the phoenix
represents fire, the tortoise water, and the dragon air.

For my legends, I selected those four animals as the four
Guardians who collectively govern the Alliance. That is the realm of
Dragonspeir which is good and fair, opposing the Dark Realm led by the Black
Dragon. My heroine, Lyra McCauley, confronts a quest: save Dragonspeir from
destruction by the Black Dragon before he utilizes power of August’s red moon
to expand his strength and overthrow the opposing Imperial Dragon. Lyra accepts the challenge.
She fears that the wizard she loves, Cullen Drake, will perish if evil wins
since his immortality is dependent upon Alliance magic.

The unicorn
represents the earth element. From
times of the Ming dynasty, the unicorn was specially praised its ability to
discriminate between good and evil. It would gore only the wicked with its
single horn. Emperor Shun, the first law-giver, employed a minister who had
such a beast in his court to do just that. My Guardian Unicorn is very powerful
and a tough character, a sort of bad-ass, but fair to a fault. He judges
whether Lyra is ready to begin her quest.

The phoenix, a
legendary bird with brilliant colors, lived more than one life. It consumed
itself by fire periodically, and a new young phoenix sprang from the ashes. In
Chinese mythology, the phoenix symbolizes fire.
Within its spirit, the Feng Hwang bird contains the balance of the solar Yang
and the lunar Yin powers. The phoenix is called the Empress because it
represents qualities of beauty and peace. I titled my Phoenix Guardian as the Lady
of Peace, appearing only during happy times. She presides over the Meadow of
Peace, a quiet collection of villages in the Alliance territory.

The third animal, the tortoise
or turtle, represents water and was
thought to be a model of the world. Its upper shell curved like the vault of
the heavens, its lower shell flat like the Chinese envisioned the Earth at that
time. They read the future in the pattern on the tortoise’s shell. The animal is
perceived as a symbol of longevity and wisdom. My Tortoise Guardian is in
charge of keeping the history of Dragonspeir for the Alliance. He commands a
vast library of records and magical documents. Lyra and the higher magical
depend on his resources to fight evil.

Thedragon, the fourth
prophetic animal, was a divine creature that signified wisdom and represented air. For centuries, it was the imperial emblem. The emperor’s throne was called the Dragon Throne and his face was called the Dragon Face. It was said that when an emperor died, he ascended to
heaven riding on the back of a dragon. The celestial dragon, T’ien Lung, is
sometimes represented as holding up the sky. For these reasons, in the Enchanted Bookstore Legends, I gave my Imperial Dragon the title of Head
Guardian. He serves as a wise leader, coordinating the actions of the other
three Guardians. In charge of the air element, he is expert in the magic craft
of mystic astronomy, reading and gaining power from the stars by using an array
of unusual instruments.

Additionally, astrological signs are grouped in a similar
manner, according to their dominant elements of earth, fire, water, and air. In
my books, residents of Dragonspeir who inherit magical tendencies must learn to
utilize their dominant element in order to control and develop their abilities.
Lyra, like all Scribes, is born under a fire sign and must learn to communicate
with the main star of the Aries constellation—her birthmate star—in order to
utilize her vast powers. This is awkward and she must work hard to master the
techniques.

These four animals and the elements they represent were
believed by the Chinese to make up all of creation. The realm of the fantasy
world in the Enchanted Bookstore Legends that is good and fair embraces this
balance. From this foundation, I utilized many more ties to Chinese mythology.

Read more about those in Seeking a Scribe: Enchanted Bookstore Legend
One.

Marsha A. Moore is a writer of fantasy romance. The magic of art and
nature spark life into her writing. Her creativity also spills into
watercolor painting and drawing. After a move from Toledo to Tampa in
2008, she’s happily transforming into a Floridian, in love with the
outdoors. Crazy about cycling, she usually passes the 1,000 mile mark
yearly. She is learning kayaking and already addicted. She’s been a yoga
enthusiast for over a decade and that spiritual quest helps her explore
the mystical side of fantasy. She never has enough days spent at the
beach, usually scribbling away at new stories with toes wiggling in the
sand. Every day at the beach is magical!